


A Sleigh Ride

by fuzzyfying



Series: December Fanfiction Challenge [15]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Fluff, Santa's Elves, Sleigh Ride, fiona fic, making fun of Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-08
Updated: 2015-01-08
Packaged: 2018-03-06 14:59:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3138515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzzyfying/pseuds/fuzzyfying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dec 15: A Sleigh Ride</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Sleigh Ride

“Cora, are we actually going to do this?”

“Come on, Lyds, you have to. It’s a family tradition, but Derek definitely won’t do it with me.”

Lydia had been apprehensive, but she was intrigued by this remark. She wasn’t sure she was comfortable doing anything Derek wouldn’t.

“Because he still feels like...like it’s his fault?”

“No… I mean, he does still feel like that. He hasn’t let himself have nice things since Paige. But it’s a family tradition, and the sappy nostalgic stuff actually helps, normally. Sort of a reminder of why he can’t forget, you know? It’s just this one in particular.”

“You’re not doing a great job of convincing me, Cora.”

Cora sighed.

“Fine, I’ll explain why Derek is a wimp and you should definitely do this with me. When we were little, Laura and I got to control the sleigh every other year. The thing is, we liked to go fast. Really fast. Wolves like to go fast, right? Except...Derek kind of freaked out. He may have thrown up in the snow...”

Lydia hadn’t been thrilled about a sleigh ride in the cold, no matter how romantic it may have sounded. The farther Lydia and Cora had gotten away from the Hale house, though, the worse she felt about going, especially now that there was a threat of puking. But seeing Cora, usually so quiet and reserved, light up like this thinking about her family, made her think that it might be worth it anyway, just to keep that pretty smile on her face.

 

Lydia had been hoping for something sweet. Sitting and talking under a snow-frosted tree, or cuddling by a secluded frozen lake. After Cora started driving, though, it became clear that her fantasy had been nothing more than wishful thinking. Her girlfriend hadn't been lying about speed, and Lydia couldn't help but hope that there weren't traffic laws for large motorized sleds.

Lydia didn't puke, but she also didn't notice they were lost deep in the Reserve until Cora tried to get directions on her phone _while driving._

"Cora!" She had to shout to be heard at their speed

"What?" Cora shouted in return.

"Put your phone away!"

"But— tree!"

"What?"

"JUMP!"

Luckily, Cora grabbed Lydia in time to pull them both out of the sled as it crashed into the large fir, dumping a gratuitous amount of snow on the two of them. After checking Lydia for any major injuries, Cora admonished her.

"You distracted me!"

Lydia pursed her lips.

"You got us lost and didn't even ask me for help!"

Cora groaned, as though she still somehow managed to believe that this mess was Lydia’s fault.

"I knew you would yell at me! Fortunately for us, without our weight the sleigh managed to stay intact when it hit."

"Yeah, and _unfortunately_ for us, you steered us somewhere without signal. How are we supposed to get home now?"

Cora scoffed.

"GPS works without cell signal, doesn't it?"

"Well, it's not working now, look, it— hey!"

The phone powered off in Lydia's hand, zapping her in the process. Lydia sighed in frustration, and when she turned around, Cora was investigating some kind of glittery frozen pond.

"Hey, Lydia?"

"Yeah?"

"I grew up on the Beacon Hills Reserve, and there aren't any lakes like this. We may have gotten lost, but there's no way we got _this_ lost."

Lydia was relatively familiar with her Californian geography, and Cora was right. It wasn’t just the reserve, there weren’t any lakes of this size for at least one hundred miles.

But– wait a minute. A secluded frozen lake? That sounded suspiciously like—

"Ugh! You've figured it out now, haven't you?" The voice coming from behind Lydia was small, slightly squeaky, and just short of annoying— at first when she turned around, she didn't say anything, but when she looked down—

"Oh my god, is that an elf?" The Hales had never really been known for their tact.

The creature, who indeed was clad in stripes, a floppy, jingling hat, and ears so pointy Lydia doubted they could possibly be made of actual flesh, huffed indignantly and wrinkled his nose.

"Got a problem, wolfie? I'm one of Santa's _best_ wishing elves. Kringles, they told me this would be a difficult assignment. Most places people just take the lake, and the pretty sparkly trees, and the miraculous aloneness, but _no_ , I get to come across a paranoid werewolf and her banshee girlfriend. By the way, who fantasizes about frozen lakes? Do you know how difficult this was to conjure?"

Lydia crossed her arms.

"There's a definitive list of people on this earth with the right to judge me, and you're not on that list, so you can shut your perky little mouth, elf-man."

If Stiles had been there, he would have applauded. The elf, though, barely looked phased.

"Whatever. I'm supposed to grant wishes, but you two kind of messed it up when you realized what was happening.

Lydia and Cora exchanged glances, and it was Cora who spoke first.

“By that, do you mean that we figured out that something was off? Because I’m still not entirely sure I understand what’s ‘happening.’”

The elf rolled his eyes impatiently.

“Um, I’m granting wishes? Filling your world with positivity? Messing up the terrifying imbalance of werewolf-y karma you’ve got going on?”

“Dude, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we aren’t actually evil, just severely unlucky. You’re totally doing us a favor.” Cora nodded to emphasize her point.

He raised an eyebrow.

“That’s not what the alpha said.”

“Um, which alpha?”

“The scary one, not the puppy.”

“Ah. That’s my brother. What exactly did he say to you?”

“Something along the lines of, ‘some things can’t be fixed by the Christmas spirit, blah blah blah self-sacrifice, blah blah i’m a grumpy sourpuss.’”

Cora was too busy laughing to respond, so Lydia answered in her stead.

“That sounds about right. Honestly though, we appreciate it. No need to worry about Cora biting your head off to restore balance.”

The elf blinked.

“Um, I hadn’t been worried about that, but I think now I’ll just...go. That lake’s gonna be around for 24 hours, so I suggest you enjoy it.”

Lydia absolutely enjoyed the lake, taking full advantage of Cora’s guilt over taking her on a nearly-failed sleigh ride and using it to her advantage. At the same time though, Lydia knew she hadn’t enjoyed the lake nearly as much as Cora enjoyed recounting the story of the elf.

“And then, he like, put on a grumpy Derek face and scrunched up his eyebrow, except it was ridiculous because he was like two feet tall, right? But then, his Derek impression? SPOT ON. ‘blah blah i’m a grump who always feels the need to self-sacrifice.’ OH MY GOD.”

Stiles and Erica were on the floor, and even Boyd cracked a grin. Cora didn’t so much as wince when Derek walked in, instead choosing to bestow upon his head the elf-ear headband she’d insisted they buy on the way home. Amazingly, Derek didn’t maim anyone, he just sighed and adjusted the band so it wasn’t pushing hair into his eyes although not, Lydia observed, before shooting his sister a look that was equal parts derision and affection.

In her head, Lydia couldn’t help but thank the elf. Beacon Hills really had needed the positivity boost, and if the weirdly happy atmosphere meant that Cora and Lydia had a little more energy for each other that night, well, that was no one’s business but theirs.

  
  



End file.
